Destroy Barriers For Girls In School

A recent report released by the American Association of University Women reveals that public schools in the United States are guilty of creating and reinforcing a pejorative stereotype of women.

This report, compiled over two decades, shows that girls receive less attention in school, that standardized tests are biased against girls and that girls are being steered away from math and science courses. These factors combine to weaken girls` self-esteem and leave them ill-equipped to deal with competition for career opportunities.

In the current system of unofficial segregation, schoolgirls are tacitly led to believe that they are inferior to their male counterparts; that certain subjects, and therefore certain careers, are meant for males alone. Girls are prevented from learning to compete on the same playing field with the boys.

The AAUW report should make everyone recognize the magnitude of the problem of this double standard. The next step is to find a solution.

``Construction of the glass ceiling begins not in the executive suite but in the classroom,`` Alice McKee, president of the AAUW Educational Foundation said.

Society must do more than condemn the school system for past and lingering transgressions.

School curricula cannot be changed retroactively. Discrimination cannot be erased from history. Grown women who have suffered through stereotyping cannot be given a better, more personalized elementary education.

However, it is possible to learn from past mistakes.

Teaching methods must ensure equitable treatment of all students. Opportunities in education must be available to everyone, regardless of sex. Children must learn that it is all right to set goals in any field they choose.

Tearing down barriers faced by girls in school will better enable them to overcome barriers they face in adulthood.